1. Field of the Invention
This invention falls within the field of permanent magnets per se which are composed of Iron, Boron, and one or more rare earth elements. It also falls within the field of methods of treating fluids with permanent magnets since the whole purpose of this particular invention is to provide a permanent magnet with a powerful magnetic field shaped so as to extend deeply into a fluid reservior.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR Sections 1.97 and 1.98
The related art contains inventions designed to remove iron particles from the oil of an engine. Typically, these are either magnetic drain plugs for the oil pan, magnets which are used to clean parts before clean oil is introduced, or magnets which are placed onto a part by a clamping device.
The related art also contains inventions which are used to treat fuels, making sure the ionization or oxygenation of the fuel is optimized so that efficiency of combustion is improved. Typically, these are cylindrical objects with axial passages through which the fuel passes. They will usually have a plurality of elongate magnets around the outside whose major axis is parallel to the direction of flow of the fuel. These magnets will have poles that are oriented in various way with respect to one another to achieve a pattern of magnetic field which the inventor considers to be an improvement over the art of the time.
The related art also contains inventions which are used to treat water, either to improve its purity for drinking or to remove wastes before it is discarded. These often tend to resemble the cylindrical objects with axial flow passages mentioned above as fuel treatment inventions. Again the magnets will be elongate and parallel to the flow direction. They sometimes have the difference that an eddy region will be provided in the flow path where the magnetic field is strong to aid in trapping the ferromagnetic particles. The related art also contains inventions in which the magnets are actually immersed in the water, either as vanes inside a treatment filter or as parts of a rotating drum which continually contacts the water with a different portion of its surface.
The related art also contains permanent magnets which are composed of Iron, Boron, and one or more rare earth elements in a mixture. The mixture may be stamped into a solid or it may be mixed with a binder such as a plastic which solidifies due to a chemical reaction. These magnets may be in the form of disks and the poles are usually but not always on opposite sides of a diameter of the disk. The magnets may also be in the form of oblongs and the pole may be axial, or on opposing major faces. Some of the magnets in the related art are surrounded with layers of other materials, usually calculated to prevent corrosion or assist in holding the magnet against the desired surface. The axis of orientation of the magnetic powder has been manipulated in the related art to provide magnets that minimize flux leakage from certain faces while providing powerful flux lines with deep reach from one or more other faces.